The day before the China quake
Updated on 19 May 2008
Tragic pictures show students and teachers at their school just hours before an earthquake buried at least 1,000 of them alive.
Tragic pictures have emerged of students and teachers playing happily at a Chinese school just hours before an earthquake buried at least 1,000 of them alive.
The images were captured by teacher Tang Guoping, who posted them on his blog the night before the quake struck Beichuan Middle School, in the province of Sichuan.
The photos show students and teachers at the 2,000-pupil school competing in races and playing basketball as part of a sports fun day on Sunday 11 May.
The next day at least 1,000 of the school's students and stuff were buried under rubble as the quake destroyed the school.
Rescue services say about 1,350 people were rescued from the site, leading to fears that up to 700 may have died.
People from around China have left messages on the blog, offering their prayers and support, and asking whether the blog's author survived. It is still unclear whether he died in the disaster.
Messages on Tang Guoping's blog
Read Tang Guoping's blog here.
